Some Characteristics of the Ionospheric Behavior During the Solar Cycle 23 - 24 Minimum

Abstract

The Solar Cycle 23 - 24 minimum has been considered unusually deep and complex. In this article we study the ionospheric behavior during this minimum, and we have found that, although observable, the ionosphere response is minor and marginally exceeds the range of normal geophysical variability of the system. Two main ionospheric parameters have been studied: vertical TEC (vTEC, total electron content) and NmF2 (peak concentration of the F region). While vTEC showed a consistent modest decrease of the mean value, NmF2 behavior was less clear, with instances where the mean value for the minimum 23 - 24 was even higher that for the minimum 22 - 23. More extensive work is required to gain a better understanding of the ionospheric behavior under conditions similar to those presented in the last minimum.